Droning on and on...

Tonight, in a Google+ "hangout" with the American People, our tech President confirmed the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV's) in Pakistan's tribal regions.  This news is obviously no surprise, these strikes have been going on for years, and will continue for years to come.

This post is not as much about the President confirming our covert war in Pakistan as it is about the use of drones worldwide.  UAV's are remarkable weapons that are a tremendous benefit to our soldiers in combat.  They provide realtime intelligence to men on the ground, can fire on enemies with 1000lb guided bombs, can laser designate targets for larger air strikes, and can track multiple individuals simultaneously all while keeping the pilot safe in a warehouse somewhere in America's heartland. The technology is pretty damn incredible.

However, what implications do our use of drones beyond the combat zone have on our foreign policy?  Let's play devil's advocate for a moment:

Imagine that a radical Canadian terrorist group -L'Maple Leaf- flew a passenger jet into the Kremlin.  Russia declared war on Canada and has been caught there for ten years.  A large number of Canadians fled to Minnesota and are slowly funneling weapons and supplies back to Canada to fight for a restoration of their sovereignty.  It's been nearly impossible for the US to adequately manage Minnesota because of the large influx of refugees from neighboring Canada.  Russia has agreed to give the US money in return for flying drones in Minnesota.

You are a cab driver in Minnesota. You have a wife, two kids, mother and father, and a pretty comfortable life.  One day you pick up a man, he is running late to his daughter's wedding.  You get him there as quickly as possible.  He is so grateful for your talented driving that he invites you in for the ceremony (and the open bar, which is the best part anyway).  You go in, there is music, dancing, everyone is happy... but you did not know one important detail... that a member of L'Maple Leaf, whom Russia is tracking,  was also in attendance then...

FLASH the building is gone. You are alive but severely burned.  The children you saw playing, the people dancing, the bride and groom, all lie dead.  Burned, bleeding body parts lie strewn about like leaves in fall.  It's nearly impossible for you to move. You're taken to a hospital; you have to pay for your treatment.  Russia pays no restitution and insists that they are taking the necessary steps to keep Minnesota, as well as Canada and Russia, safe. You decry your government for allowing this violation of sovereignty; you demand payment for your bills, but nothing comes.  Finally, the US does complain, so Russia cuts off most of the aid money they were paying to intervene in Minnesota.  The aid stops, but the overflights do not.  Each day more of your fellow Minnesotans are killed for simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time. With the US failing to act, with the bombs still falling, and with outrage constantly growing you decide it's time to act.  You take up arms with L'Maple Leaf, not out of any ideological reason, not because you want to keep your way of thinking, but because your home, family, and nation are all at stake.  Does that make you a terrorist or a freedom fighter?

So go back and replace "US" with Pakistan, "Russia" with United States, and "L'Maple Leaf" with Al Qaeda/Taliban.  Can we really sit here in the comfort of the most powerful, prosperous society in the world and scratch our heads when we hear about Pakistani anger with the United States? We refuse to take a walk in their shoes; we refuse to imagine what it would be like to live in constant fear of patrolling aircraft; we lack the capacity to understand someone who is not us.  If my devil's advocate scenario above was actually happening I can tell you without a doubt that I would be a "terrorist" (but I would know I was a "freedom fighter").